Gov. Gwen Garcia has urged National Statistician Usec. Dennis Mapa to reassess the methodology used by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in identifying provinces with the highest number of impoverished Filipinos.
The governor’s call comes as a response to PSA’s report released in January which claimed that Cebu, of all the provinces, had the highest number of poor Filipinos, totaling 1.7 million during the first semester of 2023.
Expressing her dissatisfaction and frustration with the report, Gov. Garcia emphasized the significant efforts undertaken by the Provincial Government to address poverty incidence and implement various pro-poor programs aimed at improving the lives of the Cebuanos.
Foremost among these are Sugbo Negosyo which helps micro and small entrepreneurs bring their businesses to the next level; Sugbo Kahanas, which provides fee skills training to qualified Cebuanos; Enhanced Countryside Development which hooks up Cebuanos with financial institution for much-needed capital at low-to-no-interest rate; among others.
During the meeting with Mapa and other PSA regional officials on Thursday night, April 25, Gov. Gwen stressed the importance of revisiting the data gathering process of the agency to ensure its accuracy and adherence to the actual situation on the ground.
She urged them to collaborate closely with the mayors of Cebu’s local government units and even with the Capitol to facilitate accurate data collection, highlighting the need for proper coordination and assistance from local chief executives.
Usec. Mapa said one of the reasons for the unfortunate result could be the double whammy that hit Cebu in 2021: the Covid 19 pandemic and supertyphoon Odette which devastated the Province in December that year.
But the governor said even this is questionable because, firstly, the pandemic equally hit all provinces; and secondly, Cebu quickly recovered from Odette due to the Capitol’s massive financial support and other programs.
She cited initiatives launched during the pandemic when Cebu became the first LGU in the entire country to reopen tourism in as early as August 2020; as well as when the Capitol approved the release of at least P1.8 billion in aid through the Dasig Sugbo program, where over 400,000 Cebuano households whose houses were destroyed by Odette received housing materials or grocery supplies through QR-coded cards, expediting Cebu’s recovery efforts.
Usec. Mapa said they will comply with the governor’s valid request, saying he totally understands the sentiments and frustrations of the hard working governor of Cebu.
He further informed Gov. Gwen that PSA would start its census from May to September this year, as mandated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
He assured the governor of PSA’s commitment to work closely with Cebu to ensure a more accurate and comprehensive data collection for future reports. | CL